"Gods People Rebuked" (Whole Service)

Pastor Jon Gohdes Shawnee Bible Church Sunday April 19, 2020 “God’s People Rebuked” (Ezra 9:1–15) It has been too long since we had to step away from our study of the book of Ezra. Our series, which we’ve been calling “Building the Heart,” includes Ezra and Nehemiah—and we’re still looking to end the year in the book of James. At the outset of this current crisis, we adjusted our Sunday morning messages, and I must confess that now I am thrown off of my original preaching schedule by two Sundays. Pastor Darrell never used to feel such ungodly compulsions to stick to rigid schedules all wrapped around themes—he just preached the Word of God! If he got through his passage on a Sunday morning, great. If he didn’t quite get through it, he picked up where he left off the following week. Let me confess that my lack of dexterity doesn’t allow me to do that. I’m one who needs to plan it all out to fit together on a certain timetable—at least, that’s how it looks in my head. Verses like Proverbs 16:9 can make a guy like me nervous: “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” So, the point is, I plan my ways, but I realize that God is indeed directing our steps. Nevertheless, there’s no cause for worry or fear because I’ve drafted a new plan to remain on schedule to finish up our series by the end of the year even ending with some special Christmas messages in December (of course, as the Lord wills). Well, let me shift gears and say I hope that during this pandemic, with presumably more time on your hands, you’ve been able to read more. We as Christians are reading people. Do you realize that? Has it become a conviction of yours that understanding God’s revelation to you is inseparable from your discipline to read? Obviously only ONE book actually contains God’s revelation (the Bible); however, at the same time, God’s plan for the Christian life was never for you to have a Bible off in a corner somewhere by yourself. The reading and study of God’s Word is undoubtedly personal, but it is equally communal—where we gather with other believers to hear it preached, taught, and read together. That remains an obvious challenge right now. But one of the ways God has gifted the church is with competent pastors and teachers who minister to us and with whom we gather around Scripture by means of biblically sound books. A couple I’ve been reading (and have found to be especially helpful) are: God’s Vision for the Deacons (Strauch), How People Change (Lane & Tripp), and Worship Matters (Kauflin). Now, I do live in the 21st century (along with the rest of you), and I realize it’s likely that we are spending more time watching screens than we are reading books (let alone reading our Bibles). Be that as it may, during this time of stay-at-home quarantine, Merrilee and I have been watching our fair share of movies, especially some good ol’ classics. I already mentioned 12 Angry Men last week, but allow me to comment briefly this week upon the movie Fiddler on the Roof (which we watched several weeks ago). It’s a musical set in Imperial Russia a little over 100 years ago. The story centers around Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon his family (cf. walking, praying, often misquoting “as the good book says…”). As the story unfolds, he must cope with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters, who wish to marry for love (instead of by the match maker)—each one's choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of their Jewish faith and heritage. Additionally, Tevye must cope with the edict of the Russian Tsar that kicks all Jewish people out of their village. (Wikipedia) He is confronted with intensifying circumstances that do not fit within longstanding Jewish tradition, which is his main guiding word (evidenced by the fact that he breaks out into passionate singing about tradition!). The specific longstanding Jewish tradition which his family wrestles with regards marriage. His first daughter begs him for permission to marry the orthodox Jewish man whom she loves (instead of the one the matchmaker chose for her). His second daughter decides to marry an unorthodox Jewish man without asking for permission. His third daughter marries a non-Jewish man against her father forbidding her to do so! With each of his daughters’ marriages, Tevye’s sense of tradition is confronted and shaken to greater degrees. Thousands of years of Jewish custom come to bear upon these family conflicts. Such passages as ours this morning explain that tension. In Ezra 9, we come to a screeching halt as disappointing circumstances emerge in the progress of the Jewish nation reestablishing itself in the land. It is the discovery of intermarriage—a problem that calls for God’s rebuke. Ezra 9:1–15 The message title is “God’s People Rebuked.” The word “rebuke” most likely has an unfortunate ring to it in our minds because we think it is reserved for really bad situations. We hear that these people needed to be rebuked, and we think something like this: “Boy, I hope I never get to that point where I would need something like that!” That is actually faulty thinking because on the one hand it assumes that we’re pretty blameless right now—that there’s no real need for change/repentance (“I mean… I might need a little direction here and there, maybe, but I don’t need rebuke—I mean, that’s for people out there somewhere”). On the other hand, it’s also unfortunate to think of rebuke as an extreme because it assumes that rebuke is only for rare cases (cf., “Thou art the man!” moments). While it certainly includes those times, in simplest terms, rebuke merely means to show someone his fault (can be in life-altering situations or in the incredibly mundane). Do you realize that to be a Christian—to be a true believer in Jesus Christ—it means you are sensitive to your faults and sins? The heart of God’s true people is described in Psalm 139:23–24. God’s people are not ones who refuse to see their sin; rather, they are ones who readily see their sin for what it is—serious enough to require the sacrifice of the Son of God on their behalf (but they rejoice in forgiveness provided by Jesus’ death and resurrection!). God’s rebuke of his people (showing them their faults) is gracious of him! Ezra 9 displays three key elements of God’s rebuke: First element… 1) Human unfaithfulness calls for God’s rebuke (vv. 1–3) Verse one says: “When these things had been completed…” What things? Ezra and his team just traveling back to Jerusalem (chap 8) after some 60 years of effort to rebuild the Jewish nation (mainly Zerubbabel/temple). Ezra has been called upon by God to return for the purpose of building the people’s faithfulness, and he encounters discouraging prospects. These regrettable verses form the reason for the title of our series: “Building the Heart.” Notice all the building that has gone on so far in the community of Israel: the temple, the people, the reputation, the practices, the homes, the city… But Ezra has come to Jerusalem with a specific mission: Ezra 7:10. His mission is to build up the hearts of the people to faithfully worship and obey God, what he finds shortly after arriving is that the people are spiritually negligent, careless, and unfaithful in one of the most concrete ways possible—intermarrying with the people of the land who do not worship or obey God. Unfortunately, the leaders (including the priests and Levites!!) were leading the charge as it were in this failure and neglect (v. 1)! Verse 2 may strike us uneasily—especially in light of the racial tensions of our own time and history here in America. Some, to be sure, would immediately level the accusation of racism against verse 2: “…that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands…” To explain this, it must be understood that Old Testament Israel was a theocracy—their national and religious identity were one in the same. Their religious faithfulness was tied to and connected to their ethnic integrity. This was never nor is it now God’s expectation for any other nation. Furthermore, it is not his expectation for the New Testament church, which will ultimately encompass peoples from every tribe, and every nation, and every language! We don’t have time to fully flesh out these matters in detail as we ought to, but suffice it to say that intermarriage for Old Testament Israel was a grave matter of unfaithfulness. The real sticking point was not really race at all—it was religious practice and fidelity. This is what’s emphasized in verse 1: “[they] have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations…” (all manner of sexual perversion, false belief, and pagan worship—including, in some extremes, the actual sacrifice of live children). It has always been the case and remains the case that those who have faith in God must diligently remain separated from spiritual error: 2 Corinthians 6:14–18. The people were guilty of spiritual negligence and unfaithfulness—which calls for God’s rebuke. God never rebukes unless actual unfaithfulness requires it. Second element of God’s rebuke… 2) God’s Word communicates God’s rebuke (v. 4) Ezra dramatically embodies God’s rebuke in verse 3: ripping his clothes, tearing out some of his hair and beard, sitting down silently appalled! It’s stark! It’s serious! It’s a big deal! Verse 4: “Then those who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness…” Notice what’s going on in the heart of at least some of the people here: they tremble at the words of the God of Israel. They are moved by God’s Word! They come forward because of God’s Word! They respond because of God’s Word! Not because some crazy guy is freaking out and they need to appease him so he’ll get off their backs! NO. They tremble at the rebuke which is leveled against them from God’s Word. Is that what happens in your heart?? God’s Word is the perfect standard of faithfulness which we know is going to come into conflict with our unfaithfulness sooner or later, and the question becomes: are we moved by God’s Word when it reveals our faults?? Are we moved by God’s Word when it reveals our faults?? Is it possible that you are putting on a show of religion because your spouse wants you to? Because your parents want you to? Because your grandma wants you to? Because your neighbors want you to? Because you think you have to for whatever reason? My friend, the only genuine reason to come to God is because his Word reveals who he is, who you are, and that motivates you to seek him! Because notice how these people don’t run away—they gather to Ezra (v. 4). The heart that is genuinely rebuked by God’s Word to the point of repentance will come to him. When God’s true people (who have faith in him) are rebuked by him, they run towards him not away from him! That’s one of the ways you know you’re a child of God—even when he shows you your faults, you want to hear and listen to him! This is what Jesus meant in John 10:27–28. (cf. Psalm 23:4b—“thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…”) This is why we preach verse by verse through the Bible! Nothing is going to minister to the hearts of God’s people like the faithful preaching of God’s Word. (We value biblical exposition and biblical theology.) God’s Word communicates God’s rebuke. Third element is this: 3) God’s faithfulness causes God’s rebuke (vv. 5–15) God’s faithfulness is a double-edged sword. We rejoice that our God is perfectly faithful! But it sobers us that we are not. If you think about it, our lack of faithfulness/holiness is a problem precisely because of God’s faithfulness/holiness. Ezra’s passionate confession recognizes this fact. God had lavished his grace upon the people. He had brough them back to the land. He had established them. He had miraculously preserved a remnant. He had given them his commands which were for their good. God had been faithful to them in innumerable ways. It’s as if Ezra summarizes his confession in verse 15. “No one can stand before You…” This is message is heavy. I’ll be the first to point out that it’s a difficult scene in Ezra chapter 9. We don’t rejoice in seeing sinners rebuked (if we do, it’s likely that we’re not seeing God’s rebuke for our own sin!). We rejoice in seeing God being gracious here (which is what rebuke is all about)! God does not leave us in our sin. For those who feel the weight of their unfaithfulness and unholiness compared to a holy God, Romans 8:1–4 shows the rest of the story! Who else can do that?? There recent hymn captures it perfectly: Who else could rescue me from my failing Who else would offer His only Son Who else invites me to call Him Father Only a Holy God Only my Holy God! Come and behold Him The One and the Only Cry out, sing holy Forever a Holy God Come and worship the Holy God Applications Do you have a sensitive heart toward God’s rebuke where it causes you to “gather to him,” not run away from him? God never rebukes us only to leave us hanging. He rebukes us to bring us closer. That’s what discipline is all about (a confrontation with the end goal of reconciliation). How well you respond to rebuke is perhaps the best indication of your spiritual maturity: Not how much you know… Not your degrees or education... Not your ability to study… Not how much you read the Bible… Not the perfect family you come from… Not how many miracles have happened in your life… Not your ability to talk about spiritual things… Not how many books you’ve read… Not how much you pray… (Most definitely) NOT how well you avoid rebuke…(!) But how you respond when reproved by God’s Word… Learn to view times of God’s rebuke as precious moments. I don’t think the Precious Moments Bible would zero in on Ezra 9 as one of their selections, but I think they should! God’s rebuke is precious—not because we love pain, but because we love being graciously brought back in reconciliation to our good and loving Father!